Plants 40-150 cm; rhizomes short, stout or caudices. Stems 1(-3), ascending to erect, velutinous or loosely hirsutulous. Leaves: basal and proximal cauline petioles winged (narrowly so in proximalmost), to 10 cm, bases flared, auriculate-clasping (at least in proximalmost), blades broadly ovate, 35-120 × 30-70 mm, bases cordate, margins serrate, adaxial faces glabrate or sparsely finely scabrous or finely strigose, abaxial pilose on nerves; mid cauline similar to proximal, petioles shorter, broadly winged, strongly auriculate-clasping; distal sessile, blades ovate, 20-40 × 10-20 mm, bases winged, narrowed, auriculate-clasping, becoming ovate and cordate-clasping in arrays, reduced to 10 mm. Heads 50-100 , secund, in paniculiform arrays, branches relatively few, short to elongated and arching. Peduncles 1-3 mm; bracteoles linear-lanceolate, minute, grading into phyllaries. Involucres campanulate, 3-4(-5) mm. Phyllaries in 2-3 series, lanceolate, strongly unequal, acute to attenuate, sparsely short strigose. Ray florets 1-3; laminae 1-2 × 0.5-0.75 mm. Disc florets 4-8; corollas 3-3.5 mm, lobes ca. 1 mm. Cypselae 2-2.5 mm, distinctly ribbed, short-strigose; pappi ca. 2 mm (bristles in 2 weak series, shorter than cypsela bodies, inner weakly clavate). 2n = 18.

Flowering Aug-Sep(-Oct). Rocky wooded slopes, alluvial soils near streams, in woods; 30-300 m; Ala., Ark., Fla., Ga., La., Miss., S.C., Tenn., Tex.

Solidago auriculata was not listed for Oklahoma (C. E. Taylor and R. J. Taylor 1984).